This invention relates generally to toy robots and toy vehicles and, more particularly, to a reconfigurable toy whose configuration can be changed or transformed so that the toy can be used as both a robot and a vehicle and can be used in conjunction with a toy doll when simulating a vehicle.
Various toys have been manufactured for children to play with as robots and vehicles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,060 describes three separate vehicle toys which can be operated independently or fit together (reconfigured) to simulate a robot. U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,006 discloses a toy having upper and lower body sections. The lower body section is operably attached to the upper body section in a plurality of configurations. The toy assembly described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,173 has a rear wheel unit provided with a joint assembly for removably mounting a robot doll or toy airplane. Another toy is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,553,885. This toy has a power unit simulating a man, animal, etc. which is detachably mounted on a moving unit simulating a vehicle. In all of these patents, the different parts of the toys are removably fit together to form a desired configuration for the toy.
A toy made from different parts permanently coupled together which can be adjusted folded, rotated or moved with respect to each other to form different configurations is more desirable than the above described toys because the toy consists of one integral unit. Since the parts of such a transformable toy are permanently coupled together, the parts cannot be separated or taken apart, reducing the possibility that parts will be misplaced or lost. As such, a child can quickly change the configuration of such a toy (transform the toy) without taking the toy apart. Where the toy is transformable from a vehicle to a robot, additional play options are made available to the child if the toy may be used in conjunction with a toy doll. For example, a toy may be folded into the shape of a vehicle on which a toy doll may be positioned, placed or mounted. After the child has finished playing with the toy doll, the toy may be transformed into a robot for further use by the child. In the past, transformable toys have been manufactured which may be transformed from a vehicle to a robot. However, these toys are not intended to be used in conjunction with a toy doll.
The toy industry is constantly striving to create new toys which provide novel play options and appeal to the creative imagination of children playing with the toys. Accordingly, there is a need in the toy manufacturing arts for a reconfigurable (transformable) toy with integral adjustable parts capable of being adjusted, folded, rotated or moved with respect to each other to form different configurations (such as a robot or a vehicle) which can be used in conjunction with a toy doll.